Southern Shores

The Marquee, Halifax, NS, October 18

Imagine lounging on a yacht. Champagne is flowing, the sun is shining, and Jay-Z and Beyoncé zip by on their sailboat. Southern Shores would definitely be the soundtrack to this scene.

Made up of Halifax natives, the trio put on a moveable dance party with looped vocals, a drum machine, synthesizer and guitar. The crowd was wildly into the music, a testament to how their hometown loves them.

Halifax also seems to love the Marquee, which has been newly re-opened just in time for the festival. The Marquee is a space that seems to carry its own mythology, as evidenced by constant comments within the crowd of how the space had been restored to its original glory. While this may be true, the sound did the music no justice. The bass was muddy, the vocals were fuzzed-out and the entire mix was off. But considering this was the first night the Marquee was open in its original inception in years, and the fact that festivals where four bands will share the stage in a single night can be tricky to manage, this is understandable.

The good news is judging by the moving bodies in crowd, nobody seemed to mind.